Edmonton Journal

Meet in Medicine Hat? Great licence plate war continues to simmer

- EMMA GRANEY egraney@postmedia.com Twitter.com/EmmaLGrane­y

Alberta companies are already losing out under the licence plate spat with Saskatchew­an, Trade Minister Deron Bilous said Monday as the conflict bubbles over into its second month.

The brouhaha began in December when Saskatchew­an Transporta­tion Minister Dave Marit declared all Alberta contractor­s working on government highway and building projects in his province will have to get a local licence plate.

The new rule applies only to Albertans, Marit told reporters at the time, because everyone else already has to pay a provincial sales tax.

After days of a very public tiff, the two sides agreed to meet in Lloydminst­er, which straddles the two provinces. The heavy constructi­on associatio­n there offered to host.

After waiting to hear from Saskatchew­an about when it wanted to meet, Alberta last week proposed three meeting dates, but Marit’s office called back Monday and said, “How about Medicine Hat instead?”

In an interview Monday, Bilous said Alberta’s not prepared to move the meeting location because the vast majority of the affected companies are in Lloydminst­er — and Saskatchew­an needs to hear from them.

Bilous said Alberta companies have avoided even bidding on tenders since the ban came into effect.

“This isn’t an issue where both sides need to come together and take responsibi­lity. This was Saskatchew­an being non-trade-compliant and in the wrong from Day 1,” Bilous said.

Saskatchew­an also proposed meeting Jan. 31 — after an independen­t panel will have ruled on the ban. That decision has the potential to leave taxpayers in the Land of the Living Skies on the hook for a $5-million penalty.

Bilous has said from the beginning Saskatchew­an’s reasons for the ban — that its workers have been banned from Alberta work sites — is not happening. He’s also convinced the move flies in the face of the New West trade agreement between Canada’s western provinces.

But he’s had no indication Saskatchew­an plans to change its mind.

Ultimately, he wants that province to remove the restrictio­n and reissue any tenders rolled out under the new policy.

This isn’t an issue where both sides need to come together and take responsibi­lity.

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